Galway Footballers have named three newcomers for Sunday's eagerly awaited first-round clash of the Bank of Ireland Connacht football championship with defending champions Mayo in Castlebar. All are in the forwards - Derek Savage, Paul Clancy and Padraig Joyce.
The side also features the return of Jarlath Fallon to championship action for the first time in nearly two years - since he played against the same opposition in the 1996 Connacht final.
A vacancy has been left at right corner back and will be filled by Robin Doyle if he recovers from an ankle injury in time. If Doyle fails the fitness test, manager John O'Mahony will choose between Richie Fahy, Kevin Fallon, John Divilly and Brian Silke to complete the selection.
The team will be captained by Ray Silke who led Galway champions Corofin to the All-Ireland club football championship in March, the first time a Connacht side had taken the title. Silke had been out of favour with the selectors during much of the National League campaign but played well when introduced as a substitute in the quarter-final defeat by eventual winners Offaly and has been in good form since.
Beside him, Tomas Mannion returns to the team after missing a lot of football during the league. Having joined the panel around Christmas, he lost more ground because of injury and was unavailable for a further period after getting married.
The side shows six changes from the team beaten by Mayo in Tuam - for the first time in 46 years - a year ago this week. John Donnellan (injured), Val Daly (retired), Frank McWalter and Tommy Carton are no longer on the panel whereas Declan Meehan and Damien Mitchell are on the bench.
Even compared to last month's league quarter-final with Offaly, there are a number of changes. Shea Walsh, Meehan, Divilly and Kevin Fallon drop to the bench although one might return for the vacant corner back position. Clancy, Ja Fallon, Silke and Mannion move in.
"It (the Offaly defeat) questioned certain areas," according to O'Mahony, "but it was better to be asked then than in Castlebar."
O'Mahony is facing his own county in a championship match for the first time since leading Leitrim to a memorable Connacht success in 1994.
Mayo, All-Ireland finalists for the past two years, name a team tonight and are still coming to terms with the loss of All Star midfielder Pat Fallon whose fractured leg is turning out to be more serious than first hoped and may keep him out of football for the remainder of the season should the county survive Galway's challenge.
Sunday's other big match is in Leinster where defending champions and newly-crowned National League winners Offaly take on their provincial predecessors and All-Ireland champions of two years ago, Meath in a re-enactment of last year's Leinster final.
Meath's main injury concern is corner back Mark O'Reilly who injured his wrist at the weekend. "Sore but hopefully not serious," is the verdict of selector Frank Foley. Ironically, O'Reilly missed last year's match because of suspension and his was one of the several absences in defence which helped undermine Meath in the face of Offaly's rampant attack.
Paddy Reynolds, wing back on the All-Ireland team, is recovering from a hamstring pull and didn't play in the weekend's challenge match against Armagh which Meath won. Back in action are Jimmy McGuinness and Barry Callaghan who missed a year's football because of a back injury.
Offaly also play Meath in the first round of the Guinness Leinster hurling championship. Between both codes, the county's teams resemble a field hospital. The footballers will definitely be without corner back David Foley (back injury) and Barry Mooney (hamstring).
Corner forward Peter Brady was declared unlikely to play after missing last month's league final victory over Derry because of a back injury. Now his chances appear to have improved to 50-50 although Offaly County Board PRO Pat Teehan says that Brady definitely will not start and "may not play at all".
Of last year's winning side, wing back Tom Coffey is back in training but short of match-fitness.
The county's hurlers are in deeper trouble. Missing will be Joe Errity, who underwent another knee operation last week, Daithi Regan, who broke his finger two weeks ago, Johnny Dooley, still recovering from a broken thumb, and Gary Hannify, who is doing exams.
On the doubtful list are All-Ireland winning captain of four years ago Martin Hanamy and Kevin Kinahan.
In Ulster, Donegal take on Antrim at Casement Park in the opening first-round match in the province. Donegal never find it easy to get past Antrim despite Antrim's abject record of not having won a championship match in 16 years.
Donegal defender JJ Doherty is struggling with a hamstring injury but the rest of the panel is alright and the team will be named tonight.
Antrim's only injury concern is Paddy Graffin, one of the panel's centre backs. He damaged ankle ligaments and definitely misses out.
Antrim County Board PRO George McGuckian is upbeat about the team's prospects because of the presence of talented younger players like Kevin Brady, Kevin Madden and Joe Quinn.
"We played Derry in a challenge at Slaughmanus and they beat us 3-16 to 0-16. It was played over 80 minutes and we looked fitter at the end. If you take the three goals out and be a bit optimistic, you could see a future for the team."
Galway (SF v Mayo): M McNamara; AN Other, G Fahy, T Meehan; S Og de Paor, R Silke (capt), T Mannion; K Walsh, S O Domhnaill; P Joyce, J Fallon, P Clancy; D Savage, N Finnegan, M Donnellan (Dunmore).
